Education

In an age of zero tolerance school weapons policies, is it appropriate for an elementary school to have a mascot that is itself a weapon?
This was the basic question at the center of a Lancaster County school board discussion at their Tuesday, Dec. 10, meeting over the appropriateness of the proposed Tomahawk mascot for Indian Land’s new elementary school.
The discussion came during consideration to affirm the name, school colors and mascot for the Harrisburg Road school chosen by a naming committee as part of a process that began in September.

The hall of fame coaching career of Bennie “Coach Mac” McMurray is now in the books. McMurray, a 38-year coaching veteran who coached at four different schools, including his final stop at Lancaster High School, is retiring from coaching.

Lancaster County school board members, expressed nearly unanimous displeasure for a County Council proposal that would reduce potential school district revenue from “Project Vino” in favor of funding future economic development projects.

The reaction came during the board’s monthly meeting Tuesday evening, Oct. 15, where district officials touted increased student participation in AP courses and issued a report on the district’s move toward Common Core Standards.

By Chloe Gould
USC School of Journalism
Rows of first-graders sat cross-legged in their elementary school’s library, chattering to kids in other classes in fits of nervous excitement.
They pulled on the laces in their sneakers and were reminded, time and time again, to keep their bottoms on the ground.
“If I see Cocky, I’m going to pee my pants,” said one student at W.B. Goodwin Elementary School in North Charleston.

University of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina’s expansion to three full semesters is underway, with classes beginning this week.
Officials say student response, particularly among juniors, has been strong to On Your Time: Summer at Carolina, a new program of summer courses offered over eight sessions that range from one to 12 weeks. Because of its flexible design, course registration for the later summer sessions is still open, allowing students to progress toward their degree and working toward the goal of graduating in four years.

With no real movement in Washington, D.C., toward avoiding the year-end “fiscal cliff,” Lancaster County School District officials are preparing for the possibility of losing a significant chunk of federal funding next year.
The sequestration is a package of $109 billion in automatic, across-the-board federal spending cuts set to go into effect Jan. 1 should Congress and the White House fail to reach a budget deal before then to reduce the federal deficit by $1.2 trillion.

Parents eagerly anticipate the moment when their child first begins to talk, but for some parents it is a time of anxiety because their child struggles to get words out.
As many as five percent of preschool children nationwide have repetitions and prolongations of sounds severe enough to be of concern to their parents.
A new DVD in English and Spanish, Stuttering and Your Child: Help for Parents, helps parents detect stuttering and take action toward helping their child and is available now at Lancaster County Library.

The project to build a new elementary school in Indian Land is set to move forward in earnest with major developments announced during the Lancaster County school board meeting Tuesday, July 31.

In an update to board members, Lancaster County schools superintendent Dr. Gene Moore said the district had finalized the $1.1 million purchase of a 26.5-acre property on Harrisburg Road earlier in the day.

More big news came when Moore offered board members a first look at the prototype floor plan district officials want to build on the site.